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Thursday, August 30, 2012

URGENTLY NEEDED – 1 Angry Bird Knapsack

For those of you in my neck of the woods, school starts
next week.For others, this may be your
first or second week of having to listen to your tweens complain about their
teachers, or how “Robby” broke their heart.Next week, my son starts pre-school and while he’s been in a home-based
daycare since he was 9 months old, next week he moves from 4 kids of varying
ages to a class of 16 3 – 4 year olds who if they are anything like my little
devil use the back of their hand or their sleeve to wipe their runny nose.

Most people are aware that daycares and schools are
breeding grounds for infections, particularly colds, flus and intestinal
illnesses.It’s inevitable that children
will “share” their germs in the daycare or school environment for the simple
factor of proximity.Close contact
besides helping to spread germs can also help to build up a child’s
immunity.There are of course, a few
simple precautions that can help keep kids (and yourself!) healthy as they head
back to school.

1.Teaching kids
to keep their hands clean is the number one way to avoid sick days.I now sound like my mother “Wash your hands
before we eat”, “Wash your hands after playing in the sandbox”, “Wash your
hands after you go to the bathroom!” Why do boys think because they can pee
standing up they do not need to wash their hands?

2.Teach kids the
importance of not to sharing hats, brushes, towels, washcloths, eye makeup or
eye drops with other people.What better
way for pink eye or lice to spread!

3.Keep their
area clean.Like cleaning their hands,
cleaning their desk top before eating can help reduce spread of intestinal
illness.I suppose germs could be a
source of protein for those picky eaters, but for their health and yours, its
best if avoided.

A study published in August 2011 in American Journal of Infection Control, reported that after students ages 5 to 15 received one
lesson in hand hygiene where they learned to sanitize their hands with alcohol
hand sanitizer three times during the school day, the number of kids who missed
four or more school days due to illness dropped by 66 percent. What’s more, the
researchers also reported a 20 percent rise in the number of kids with perfect
attendance, compared to the previous school year. Other studies show that
kids—and their parents--stay healthier if children wash their hands with soap
and warm water for 20 to 30 seconds (the length of time it takes to say the
alphabet or sing Happy Birthday) several times a day to scrub away germs.

Let’s consider the common cold. Kindergarteners average
12 colds a year, while older kids develop about seven.The cold season runs from September to March,
making these the highest risk months (no wonder we all look forward to
spring!). The virus that causes this upper respiratory tract can live for
several hours on contaminated objects, such as door handles, books, pens, or a
computer keyboard or mouse.How do we stop
the spread?Along with frequent hand
washing (especially before eating), taking a reusable water bottle to school
instead of using the water fountain can reduce kids’ risk for colds and other
infections since the parts of the fountain that students touch can become
contaminated with germs. If your kids catch a cold, teach them to sneeze or
cough into a tissue (or the inside of their elbow, if they don’t have a tissue)
instead of their hands, so they don’t spread the virus to everything they
touch.Finally, including disinfection
of all commonly touched surfaces such as desks, door handles, faucets, etc once
per day will go a long way to preventing transmission.

If you have kids heading back to school, I hope unlike me
you have your shopping done.If not, and
you happen to come across an Angry Birds Knapsack, give me a call!